Truth Uncovered
by Sarcasministic
Summary: Sandy talks. Tooth rants. Jack's hurt. North's quiet. And, oh boy, Bunny's downright emotional. Follow Jack as the Guardians visit his past in a time of need. This is my first fic! And I know ROTG is, like, three years old, but I really love the movie... Hope you liked it! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Pitch was gone. Not dead, but gone for _at least_ five hundred years.

That was good enough for the Guardians.

They were making their way back to the North Pole for the celebration. Jack's guardianship and the Boogieman's defeat ended up coinciding with each other, so the party was going to be _huge_. North had called the yetis; the clean-up was already underway.

"Did you see Pitch's face?" the big man asked, chuckling furiously. "It was absolutely hilarious!"

"Remember when I hit him with the snowball?" Jack added, rubbing his stomach. There was a slight pain there, but nothing to worry about. "The mares were even surprised!"

Bunny was grumbling, but could barely keep the smile off his face. "I'm still pissed about the whole 'cute' thing…"

"You're fine now, aren't you?" Jack said, biting his lip. "You're back to your Kangaroo self."

"Don't even get me started, Frostbite."

"I think it's too late for that," the winter sprite grinned mischievously. Then he started throwing light punches at Bunny, who was sitting right in front of him.

The Australian raised a brow. "You wanna wrestle?"

"Heck yeah."

And it had begun. By then, both of them knew the limit to the physical abuse, especially Bunny. Jack's body was lean and, despite his best intentions, wasn't very strong.

Sandy was watching mysteriously, glancing from Jack's face to his stomach. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not, but red dots seemed to be appearing on Jack's jacket. Sandy squinted in suspicion.

Suddenly, Jack just stopped. His breathing became raspy and choked, the little color that he had drained from his face, and he began shaking. But Bunny didn't take notice of any of this, still tackling him playfully. Or so it seemed to be.

The glowing man shot up, trying his best to push Bunny off of Jack. When the rabbit is in this mode, he tends to be stuck in it till someone can bring him to his senses. And a silent man certainly wouldn't be able to do that. Unless he decided to….

Jack's movement halted.

Sandy went up to Tooth, the only one who could understand his quick symbols. As soon as he got to the _Jack is bleeding_ part, she bolted up, tackling Bunny.

"Bunny, stop! Jack's in pain!"

North nearly lost control of his reins when he heard her statement. "How?"

Sandy was already at Jack, happy to see the rise and fall of his chest. But it was short lived when he heard his breaths; short and uneven. Blood was gathering at the side of the blue hoodie, staining the wooden floor of the sleigh.

Bunny's eyes had widened. Rushing over to Jack, he exclaimed, "Oh my, Jack, I'm so sorry. Just… just stay right here. You need to stay still so we can look at your wound."

"Nightmare sand…." Then, Jack was dead to the world.

"North, we need to get to the pole. Fast." Tooth said, trying to act calm while Bunny started tugging Jack's sweater off.

The boy whimpered, "Stop."

"Jack," Bunny whispered soothingly. None of them had ever seen him like this. "You're alright, just let me take the hoodie off."

"Stop it… leave me alone."

"Jack?" North looked back in worry.

"I didn't…." Jack's face contorted. "Leave me alone. I didn't do anything! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he was wailing, tears streaming out of his closed eyes; his nails dug into the wooden floor. "I know! I know I left her! You don't understand…."

"Oh my God," Tooth suddenly started shaking Jack. "He's having a nightmare. The _sand_ got into his system some time during the fight."

"Sandy, can you removed it?"

The golden man nodded hesitantly. The he surprised them all.

"I will, but Jack needs to be awake."

The sleigh _did_ swerve this time, knocking everyone but Bunny (who was holding Jack) and Sandy, who stared at each other in shock.

"Sandy… does anyone else know that you can talk?" Bunny had finally gotten the sweatshirt off, and all he could do was stare.

"Yes, Jack did—" whatever Sandy was going to say next was lost in what he saw.

His abdomen was littered with scratches and bruises that stuck out like black paint on a canvas. Broken ribs were clearly visible, as were the small holes that indicated tiny bullets. Or where the nightmare sand made its way into him. But it was none of that that made them hate themselves.

No, it was his chest in general.

You could count his ribs. His hip bones jutted out inhumanly. His stomach was a crater in the middle of his body.

"Did he… starve himself?" Tooth was the first one to talk. North was wiping his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the guilty thoughts so he could focus on the sky. The Pole was in sight.

"He never had enough food during his time," Sandy said sadly, a golden tear streaming down his face. "Combined with three-hundred years alone, he had no way of getting enough food."

"But he must've gotten so sick." Bunny was cradling Jack. _Rocking him back and forth_.

Everyone was silent, knowing the truth behind the words. They'd left Jack alone for _three-hundred years_. He'd had no one to guide him through his journey.

Where had they been? Enjoying eggnog?

"We're h-here." North said shakily.

Then everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Sorry for not putting notes or anything like that last chapter. I'm kinda new at this.**

 **I WILL be continuing this! No need to keep telling me! Most likely, I'll post one chapter each Friday (or sooner, depending on whether or not I want to make you wait XD), since I'm actually finished with all the chapters. There's only seven, and there is absolutely NO consistency in any of them (okay, maybe, like, the first three or so). I love reviews, so keep them coming!**

 **This chapter does contain a little of language, but not much. And some descriptions are a little gory (not really, I'm overreacting).**

 **If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I enjoy making the main character (JACK) suffer. Please forgive me!**

 **I'm gonna lay down some rules:**

 ** _If you do not enjoy my story, stop reading and move on. Don't post discouraging reviews just because I said something wrong or you got in trouble showing this to your mom. (And ANYTHING else)._**

 ** _Be nice!_ Do _leave a review if you enjoy the story and want to see more in the future! I'm working on a new ROTG story that includes the Seasonal Spirits, so tell me if you want to see more of that. I should have that uploaded by today (July 17th, 2015)._**

 **Want me to do a whole lot of one shots? Gimme some ideas! (ROTG ONLY! I don't know if I'm good enough to do any other story... _maybe_ BH6...)**

 **AND THANK YOU, _Bribug_ , TO BE THE FIRST ONE EVER TO WRITE A REVIEW ON MY ACCOUNT! Cookies to you!**

 **Love you all!**

 **Mini**

Chapter Two

When the Guardians came to again, they were in a poorly house. The shingles could be seen falling off from the inside. Wooden logs made up the walls, and very well-made paintings hung from them. There were two extremely small bedrooms, an equally so kitchen, and a small loveseat in front of a hearth.

"Where are we?" Bunny asked, as he went to put a hand on the countertop. The furry paw fell through instead, scaring the rabbit half out of his wits.

"Bunny, calm down." Tooth chuckled nervously, but was looking at a photo on a shelf. "We're in a memory."

"But who's?" North said.

Sandy and Tooth both looked at each other in turn, agreeing silently. "Jack's. Look at the portrait," Sandy said quietly.

There, in the beautiful painting, was a family of four. A woman with long, brown hair and green eyes. A man with blonde hair and brown eyes. Two children, a boy that looked twelve, and a girl that looked no older than five, both inheriting traits from their parents.

"Jack looks so… different." Bunny exclaims, seeing the younger version of the annoying teenager he'd come to know so well was, to say the least, unexpected.

"Man in Moon must've changed him so much when he was chosen for guardianship." Tooth said sadly.

Sandy startled them all with the statement, "But why was he chosen so young, is the question."

"Mama, why is Papa being mean to Jackie?" they all heard a young girl cry out.

The Guardians moved toward the room the voice came from, phasing through the door. There sat a slightly older version of the girl and her mother. The older grimaced.

"Now, now, Pippa," she soothed, while trying to drown out the screams coming from the room across the hall. "Please remember that that man isn't your Papa, alright? Remember what happened years ago?"

"Papa was in a horrible fire at a village, and never came home. Jack was with him and got terrible scars on his back." Pippa sniffled. "But why is the man hurting Jackie? What did Jackie do?"

"Nothing, dear." The woman said quietly, bringing her close. "Jack is selfless, and didn't want us to get hurt. So he's taking t-the b-b-blows…." She started weeping.

Pippa frowned. "Mama, why do you cry? Surely Jackie can't be that hurt."

Another scream was heard. It took everything in the Guardians not to plow through the house to the other bedroom.

"Pippa, dear, do you know what vodka is?"

Tooth started crying, leaning into North's arms for comfort. The men stared in horror when they realized what was going on.

Jack's stepdad had a drinking problem, and was abusive. Jack was protecting his family by having the man hit him instead of the women. _He's taking the blows._

"Its stuff that makes you tired and… stupid?" Pippa tired, but couldn't seem to grasp the whole term.

"It does much more than that." She takes a pause, wiping her eyes. The redness was all that was left. "If you drink too much of it, they call you a drunk. That's what your stepfather is—a drunk. They can get really violent and—and they d-don't see s-straight."

"Mama?"

"He's hurting Jack real bad right now." The brunette answered with tears in her voice. "But Jack would only be in more pain if we went in there to help him."

Bunny growled, deciding that he needed to go see it for himself. Surely, it can't be that bad?

But boy, was he wrong. He was so, _so_ wrong.

The older had black hair and blue eyes that were red around the rims. His whole body stunk in the worst way possible, fat hung from his body like a horrible disease; his tunic, that was supposedly white, was a dark yellow, with black in some spots.

He was holding yet another beer bottle, shards of past ones scattered across the floor, around a thirteen-year-old Jack.

The boy was bleeding profusely. His brown head of hair was littered with shards, as were his face, neck, chest… his whole body. Scratches were sewn across his face and neck, where most of the pieces had made home base. Jack was huddled in a ball by the lonely wooden bed that took up more than half the room.

"Stupid, stupid boy…." He downed another bottle and raised it over his head. "Stupid, dumbass boy."

When the bottle connected with Jack, a scream shriller than any other could be heard. It left the hut as it echoed out of existence. The victim laid still on the floor, not moving a muscle.

And Aster feared the most. But when he tried to check for a pulse, his paw fell through the boy's neck. He growled in frustration, knowing he couldn't do anything to help; this was a mere memory.

Bunny didn't hear the door open until a _clang_ was heard through the room. The drunk fell to the floor, unconscious. There Pippa stood at the door, frying pan now safely at her side.

She dropped as she ran to Jack, sobbing hysterically. "Jackie, w-wake up. Please, tell me what hurts. We've b-been through this b-before. You have to wake up a-and tell me w-what's wrong."

Silence reigned in all its glory.

"MAMA!" Pippa screamed, jarring. "Mother, he's barely breathing! _He won't wake up_!"

The woman burst into the room, three small bags in hand. "As soon as we get him bandaged up—don't worry, dear, his chest is rising—we're leaving, got it? I will not let Jack take any more of this."

 _Sandy's POV_

We listened to the rest of what the two women had to say after Bunny left the room to find Jack. And to be frank, it killed us all on the inside.

"Mama, what do you mean, 'they don't see straight'?" she seemed to be too young to understand. But I knew her well; she always had dreamed of her and a boy ice skating, but I could never find the boy….

"I've taught you what 'delusional' means, yes?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Well, honey," she sniffed, eyes hard set. "That's what that stupid man has become. Delusional. There's a chemical in beer and vodka that makes him so, and now he doesn't know what's he's doing."

Then we all heard a scream, and nothing. Quiet.

Pippa got a dangerous twinkle in her eyes, and her and her mother shared a glance. The latter chuckled with a nod, but there was worry in her eyes.

 _I hope he's alright—ohmysweetgoodness, what if he isn't?_

North stumbled back, landing hard on the floor. "Did… did we just hear her thoughts? I saw it, it's M-something…."

"Medina." Sandy finished sadly. "I remember her dreams. And Pippa's. There was always a boy in them, doing something wild."

Pippa ran from the room, grabbing a frying pan off the rack on the bedroom wall.

Medina hastily stuffed clothes, food, and blankets in three separate bags, pausing when she put her hand on Jack's vest. I recognized it instantly.

"That's the vest Jack was wearing when I first met him." I blurted out in a deep and gentle voice.

"Sandy, how many times have you two met?"

I grinned, remembering. "Tons."

"You have to wake up a-and tell me w-what's wrong." We heard a tear-filled voice from the other room.

"Pippa, dear?" Medina said in question, grabbing a small stack of money from a hidden drawer.

"MAMA! Mother, he's barely breathing! _He won't wake up_!"

All of us tore into the room, only to find Bunny staring in angst at the unconscious boy. Pippa was holding Jack's hand and rubbing his chest.

"As soon as we get him bandaged up—don't worry, dear, his chest is rising—we're leaving, got it? I will not let Jack take any more of this."

I knelt next to Bunny as we watched her lay the gauze carefully on him.

"Sandy… that man," he pointed shakily to the black-haired one on the floor. "That man… he's horrible. Oh Man in Moon, he's _horrible_. I thought we were supposed to protect the children of the world; but look at Jack! We didn't even know…." Water was filling his eyes at an alarming rate.

"We did all we could," I said softly. "You and North give them retreat to something happy, while Tooth and I help them keep a positive belief for as long as we can. We can't just walk in and knock someone out because they're hurting a child…." But even as I said it, I berated the words. That's what a Guardian was, right? A protector.

"Well, then," Bunny stood angrily, gesturing to Jack madly, "we aren't doing our jobs. Because we're supposed to be _guardians_ , and _Guardians_ protect. But what're we doing here, standing around and picking days to fill them with joy? Jack had three months till Easter, and even more till Christmas. He's most likely lost all his teeth by now, and, honestly, did you _really_ expect your dream sand to make its way to him? And Pippa and Medina. They're probably scared out of their wits in worry _constantly_."

 _Oh, why can't there be food? Jack, you need it so badly._

The others had been staring at Bunny as he ranted, but soon were draw toward the source of it. You could count his ribs. One two three four five….

 _You need to stop giving us all your food. You'll die of starvation, dear._

Medina cradled Jack's broken and bloodied body to hers, rocking it gently back and forth. His head hung limply from his neck.

 _This is the worst he's ever been—ohmysweetgoodness, Jack… please, stay. I need you…_ there's a pregnant pause as she stands up with him in her arms. _Pippa will need you._

 _The moon is watching, dear. Make him proud._ And she's staring at him through the window.

Tooth stared at me immediately. "She did not just say what I think she said."

"No, she did." I was in shock myself.

"What, it could be their religion." North said calmly. "Might be some Moon-God."

"North. Sandy. Tooth. Oh Man in Moon." Bunny ran his hands through his fur, settling his eyes in me. "His mother is a spirit."

North breathed in. "She can't be. Simply not possible."

"And why not, North?" I said, getting at what Bunny was implying. "She speaks of the moon—and no, it _isn't_ a Moon-God—and she's telling him to make him proud. She was staring at _Man in Moon_ as she said those words. And, have you ever thought to think, why can't hear Pippa's thoughts?"

He huffs. "You know, I liked you better when you couldn't talk."

I chuckle. "I can't forever. I can only do so for two days of the year."

"Pippa, are the horses ready?" Medina asks—we hadn't even seen Pippa leave the room. "And the blankets are cushioned in the back like we usually do at home?"

"Yes, Mama."

"The packs are tied down?"

"Yes, Mama."

"And there's extra food and medical supplies in the hidden compartment?"

"Mama, I swear I got it all." She goes to hug Jack, who was placed down so Medina could wash her hands. "Jackie, just sleep tight. I promise you'll be safe when you wake up. We both promise."

Medina got a sad look in her eye.

"She knows something…" Tooth said warily, staring at the torn mother's face in the candlelight. "Something bad. Really bad."

"Alright, dear," Medina sighs, picking up Jack's body with a gentle touch. "You stay with Jack in the back while I drive. This may be a long drive."

"Mama, where are we going?"

There was hesitation as she smoothed back Jack's hair. "To Aunt Rea and Aunt Willow's, dear. It'll be a long ride, Pippa. You better snuggle close to him." Then she leans close to hug her.

 _You don't know it yet, but you're his healing touch, Pípere._


	3. Author's Note

**I'm so sorry!**

 **They won't let me publish my other story today (even though it said the limit was 2 per day, what the heck), so you'll have to wait till tomorrow (or whenever I can get it posted) for the other story. Lucky you, though, I just might have another chapter of** _ **Seasonal Siblings**_ **written by then.**

 **Do you guys like this current story? I don't know! Please review (you don't have to, it would just be really nice). Gimme ROTG ideas! One-shots? Bunny and Jack bonding? Sandy talking more? … Bloopers?**

 **IDEAS! FEED THEM TO MEH.**

 **No, but in all seriousness, I want to write. Most of the time, I just write random (not fanfics) stories just because it "seemed like a good idea" and "it was on my mind".**

 **Now, I don't want you guys to bail out on me. I need to regulate these chapters—two is one day is impressive. It probably won't be happening again. If there were 20 or something, then I would post more** _ **more often**_ **. But there's** _ **seven**_ **(six is long, I swear. It's the longest one out of them all).**

 **Please don't hate me for this not being a chapter! Hopefully you understand now…. (And I hope I didn't let you down, _ElektraVamp05_ and _Bribug_ on chapter two!)**

 **Love you all,**

 **Mini**


	4. Chapter 3 (DA REAL ONE)

**Here's chapter three!**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

 **cArrY oN...**

* * *

Chapter Three

I woke up in a hospital bed, alone. All I could see was sterile white. So, to be honest, I freaked. And I'm not proud.

Phil came in to calm me down. When I asked where the Guardians were, he allowed me to get up so I could see them (my chest had been bandaged up, but I'm pretty sure the nightmare sand was still in there somewhere). I expected them to be at a meeting, or sleeping.

But comatose? No, that's the last thing I expected.

They all were put in separate rooms for comfort, despite them not knowing that they were _supposed_ to be comforted.

I laid my hand on Sandy's, who, for the first time I could remember, wasn't giving dreams to the children of the world. I sighed, running a hand through my white locks.

 _Guess I'll see you when you wake up?_

* * *

They were silently seated in the back of the wagon, contemplating what to do next.

Jack was sleeping _horribly_ , moaning every two minutes from either nightmares or pain; or both. Pippa was seated next to him in a thin blanket while Medina sat at the front, controlling the reigns.

"So what do we do?"

Bunny sighed. "I don't know, mate. Tooth, do you know how to get out of this memory?"

"Aster…." She had a scared look on her face. "I don't think we can get out of here until we understand _something_ that Man in Moon wants us to."

"You're saying Man in Moon sent us here?" Sandy asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. There's something that he wants us to see, and I have a feeling it isn't this, despite how absolutely _cruel_ this is."

"Maybe he wants us to see the Aunts?"

Bunny agreed with North. "He might think we'll recognize them or something. Rea and Willow? Medina? Pípere? They all originated from Old English. Something about Jack's family seems off."

"But what about 'Jack'? That doesn't exactly fit the rest." Tooth said in wonder.

"What if Jack is a cover name? For, like, Jackson."

"That's too simple."

"I never said that was the one, Captain Obvious."

 _Guess I'll see you when you wake up?_

They all stumbled over each other in shock at the new voice. It definitely wasn't Medina's—hers had a womanly ring to it. No, this sounded like….

"Was that Jack?" Tooth asked.

"We must've landed at the Pole. I guess the yetis took care of him." North rubbed his beard. "But what does he mean 'when we wake up'?"

"Do you think we're asleep?" Bunny said. "Like, one that we can't wake up from?"

"A _coma_?"

" _That's_ the word."

"I don't know." Sandy replied, shaking his wide head. "We did kinda just, black out. North, we were close to the Pole, yes?"

"About three-hundred feet."

"Then the reindeers must've landed. The yetis probably found us and got to Jack—but we couldn't do, anything because we were asleep. And the closest thing to whatever _this_ is, is a coma."

"We need to get out of this." Bunny sighed, staring longingly at the younger version of Jack. "Jack probably still has nightmare sand inside him. And after a while… let's just say, that it isn't the nicest thing."

"But Manny wants us to see something." Tooth let out exasperatedly, tugging at one of her feathers in anticipation. "And he won't let us out until we see that 'something'. And who knows how long _that's_ gonna be?"

"Pippa, dear," they all heard Medina say with tiredness in her voice, "I think we going to take a break for the night, alright? We all need our rest, and someone needs to be able to change Jack's bandages. I'm gonna pull over on the side of the road. Get comfortable."

 _You know, Manny, I've always liked 'Jack' better than 'Jeván'. Take that into consideration when…._ Her trace of thought was lost when a whistle was heard.

"Jeván?" North gasped. "And why didn't she finish the thought?"

Dark figures descended upon them, emitting a scream from Pippa. They started ransacking the bags, stealing the food and money. Medina's eyes widened.

"Pippa, get to the floor. Right now. Press your body to the floor."

"Mama?"

" _Dammit_ , Pípere!" she hissed, wincing immediately. "Sorry, sorry, but Pippa—get to the floor. I'm going to… distract him."

"Mama, where will you go?"

They were kneeling down on the floor. Medina cradled her cheek in her hand—the sun was almost down. "Pípere, you're about to see something only stories tell. And Jeván cannot know, you hear? I'm going to run away. They will follow me."

"Mama!" Pippa cried quietly.

"Hush now," the older woman scooted over and hugged Jack's limp, cold body to her own. "Jeván, take care of your sister. And do exactly as Pípere tells you. You're hurt and can barely move."

"Yes, Mama," they all heard Jack's voice for the first time. The two words were croaked out and sounded strained, like talking took a great effort. Which it probably did.

"Sleep with your eyes open. I know you will move if you have to, no matter how much it hurts, but you need to stay down." Medina looks at both of them. "You _both_ need to do that."

"Yes, Mama." Was their symphonic answer.

She carefully laid Jack back down, who had tears streaming down his face, mumbling incomprehensible words. Pippa snuggled in next to him, watching her mother very cautiously.

"Mama, you're special, aren't you?"

The woman was shaken. "Pippa, dear?"

"Are you a spirit?"

"Of course not; that's ridiculous."

"Oh, you _definitely_ are one."

"I am not."

"Yes you are."

"No, dear."

"Yes, _yes_ you are, Mama. And don't you deny it. I've never seen you asleep, or at night, for that matter. Mama, you can't hide it from me. You're glowing, Mama."

And indeed she was. A faint white light was radiating off of her, the outline of wings just noticeable. Her face seemed longer and more elfish with the disappearance of the sun.

"Dear, I didn't want you to find out this way."

"You didn't want me to find out _at all_ ," she furrowed her small brows. "You have beautiful wings, Mama."

"I have to go now," the men were at the front of the wagon, distracted still.

"Alright. Mama, will I see you again?"

"One day, Pípere. One day, you will see me. Maybe even _you_ will have wings." _Oh, you will. I've already foreseen it. They will be even more beautiful than mine._

"That would be nice. Will Jack have wings?"

"I honestly have no clue, dear. It may be a girl thing." At this, Pippa giggled.

 _He won't need them, Pípere. Jeván won't need them._

"Goodnight, Mama."

"Goodnight, dears." And with that, she slapped one of the men, leaving the rest staring and running after the Angelic Knight.

You could faintly hear Jack whisper, "See you in a few years, Mama."

* * *

It'd been three days. _Three whole days_.

I was officially stumped. Nightmares plagued my thoughts, preventing common knowledge from helping me out with the situation. The big question was, why?

Why were the Guardians in a coma? From what I could remember, they'd been just fine on the way back to the Pole. We'd been laughing and joking around, and then… then I stopped.

It was my fault they were comatose. I feel sick now.

Really sick.

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliffy! Tis what I do.**

 **Not really.**

 **So Medina, Rea, and Willow really are Old English names. I made Pipere (can't put the damn diacritic) and Jevan (again with the diacritic UGH) up. I know they probably sound stupid on the tongue, but oh, well. "Jackson" was too simple :)**

 **Thank you to all who reviewed on chapter two and three!**

 **dreamer4644**

 **140**

 **July Storm**

 **sanaa11**

 **Guest**

 **Guest of doom**

 **ElektraVamp05**

 **Cookies to everyone who's favorited and reviewed and viewed!**

 **Love you all!**

 **Mini**


	5. Chapter 4 (I know this is confusing XD)

Chapter Four

When the Guardians rose from the crypt, they noticed, first, that Pippa had taken control of the reigns. After the night before came crashing down on them, they quickly saw Jack (or Jeván, as they now know well) snuggled up in _at least_ ten blankets.

"Jackie, we're here! Jack?"

The diverse group of four looked down to see the one she called out to barely breathing. Pippa noticed this too, immediately taking flight (practically) to the door of the mansion.

"Auntie Rea! Aunt Willow! Uncle! _Great Uncle!_ Anybody!" she screamed passionately at the door. "Jack is _dying_! Mama left us…." She broke down crying. There was too much guilt and anger and sadness built up in her system to even be _considered_ healthy.

A young brunette that looked suspiciously like Medina swung the door open, collapsing to the ground next to Pippa. About ten other relatives sprinted to the wagon with a portable stretcher (those existed back then?) and medical supplies.

"Pipi, Pipi, what's wrong?" she looked to be in her twenties. She picked the child up, cradling her. "Pipi, tell me what's wrong. What happened?"

"Pa—the man was gonna h-hurt us, b-but Jackie p-protected us. We were l-l-leaving, b-but then some r-robbers started r-ransacking our b-bags. Mama…." She suddenly stopped, tears and all.

"Continue, dear."

"A really pretty spirit guided them away. Then I drove the wagon here."

The older girl had gone pale at the mention of a spirit. She quickly picked Pippa up and hurried her inside, the rest of the strange family following with Jack.

 _Medina, you fool. They weren't supposed to know._

 _Calm down, Radella. You don't understand what happened. They had to know._

The Guardians looked at each other. "They're talking to each other?" Bunny asked. They all followed the large group into the beautiful main foyer.

 _I don't understand? Medina! You had a deal with Manny that you would never tell anybody. You swore on your_ life _! What were you thinking!_

 _Mother Osma told_ her _children._

 _Yes, because_ we're _her children. She already knew we were like Manny._

 _What says I don't have the same confidence of that opinion in my children?_

Radella had exited the room that the now sleeping Pippa had been laid down in. She halted, staring at a wall. _You've got to be kidding me._

 _No, Smart One._

 _Shut up. How do you know?_

 _If you had children you would understand._

 _Try me._

A pause. _Alright… it's just kinda this feeling, you know? I've always seen a glow off of them, a faint white and blue aura that hangs around them. Something has always been off. Jack's smile almost never fades, Pippa seems to heal anyone in sight._ But she doesn't seem to be finished. Radella senses it immediately.

 _There's something else, isn't there?_

 _Della, do you know when we received our abilities?_

 _I think you got yours after you moved out of the house. Twenty-one._

 _Which is how old you are._

 _What're you saying?_

 _Jeván and Pípere… what if they don't survive to live to that age?_

 _That's insane. Of course they will._

Tooth looked up. "That's what Manny wants us to see. Jack becoming a spirit."

"And more, obviously." Bunny added, wondering.

 _Radella, the sicknesses have worsened since when we were children. Pneumonia can kill without proper care. The flu can render someone comatose in a matter of days. And Jack…._ They all hear a distant sobbing, there but not quite there.

 _Sister?_

 _Harry's a drunk, you know that?_ Radella's eyes widen immensely. _He said that he would take the two of them away from me if I told anybody about his problem. But… Jeván's so much like his father. Booker would risk his own life to save another._

 _Medina, what does this have to do with Jack?_

 _Jack's got everybody in him. Booker, Manny, Uncle Bray, Caldwell—_ everybody _, Della. He's tough, joyful, caring, selfless… but he always hides his emotions. Jack's sensitive when you're not looking. He takes certain conversations the wrong way, then hides it with his dimpled smile. Then there's the nightmares._

"Pitch, you arse." Bunny growls at Medina's words.

 _The only reason he gets sick is because he never sleeps well, Radella. He takes_ every _beating, he gives_ all _his food to us, and he_ never _accepts "no" for an answer._

 _Medina…._

 _Radella, it's going to take a lot to get him back to his normal self._ She paused, silence deafening.

 _He won't survive with his normal self._

* * *

I couldn't get out of bed this morning.

Phil and some other yetis were rubbing my back as I threw up blood and bile this afternoon.

My fever escalated that night.

At certain times in the late hours of the day, my eyes would shift, and I'd be watching a memory. I would see my sister in it, and we'd be playing or eating or sleeping, but it'd all be the same. Just my sister and I.

Somewhere along the way, I picked up her name. Pippa. A sweet and innocent name that came out of the mouth easily. Then I would forget it, only to remember the nightmares from the night before.

Three four five days. Five days of stillness and nightmares and coughing and blood.

Five days of sleeping Guardians.

 _That's all it is. Sleeping. Nothing more. They won't…._

* * *

The Guardians were struggling to stay awake as they talked everything over.

"Jack's related to Manny." Bunny said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

North sighed. "Aster, is whole _family_ is related. The question is, how long back does this ancestry go? When did Manny decide…?"

"Don't even go there," Tooth held up her hand.

"What did Medina mean 'he has everyone in him'?" Sandy asks. His voice was getting quieter and more gravelly by the second. Day two must be coming to an end.

"Manny's very personal and wise," Bunny started slowly. "Booker must be selfless; that's where Jack's gets his protectiveness. But his other aspects…."

"Medina is extremely emotional," the sky seemed to rumble louder as the thunderstorm outside continues on, "that's where he gets his emotional side."

"But what about his seriousness? What about the fight inside him?" North strokes his beard. "And his mischievous side?"

"I think that's Radella." Tooth answers. "It just seems like her. I don't know why."

"There's another problem," Sandy says quietly.

"Which is?"

"The _real_ Jack. His condition is worsening."

"How do you know?" the rest of the Guardians were just as clueless as well.

"His thoughts." The Golden Man continues, glancing at the sky, "and Manny."

"Manny?"

"The moon hasn't been shining as brightly. And… we're kinda related." He rubbed his neck as the Guardians processed what he had said.

North spit his eggnog. Bunny choked on his. Tooth looked down at hers in disgust, like she'd just lost her appetite. "And in what way…."

"We're brothers."

"So you can hear his thoughts."

"Yes and no."

"That's not extremely helpful, Sandy."

"That's how I talk with him. I was rendered speechless at thirteen, and we gained telepathic communication. But we only hear what we want the other to hear."

Bunny looked up with realization. "What's wrong with Jack?"

"He's sick. The yetis don't know how to remove the nightmare sand, and frankly, they can't. Not without me. He's… he's vomiting blood. At this rate…."

"No." tears are running down her face as she says it. "And what are we doing?"

"Sleeping."

"Sleeping!" North shouts, standing up, furious. " _Sleeping!_ He's dying and we're _sleeping_? If you can talk to him, tell Manny to wake us up."

"You don't think I've tried?" Sandy stands, furious as well. "I have. I really have! Jack's like a little brother to me. He's my _nephew_! I want to see his past, no matter how damn sad it is, but not while he's _dying_."

For the first time in the history of the Guardians, you could see a silent man and a Russian fighting. But Tooth wasn't paying attention to that. She was looking the other way, advancing slowly.

Bunny was hyperventilating, staring at the ground, and backing away from the fight. Toward the door. _The door the door the door. Make it to the door._

"Bunny, it's alright—"

He sprinted through the memory-induced doorway. The feathered woman followed after him, oblivious to the frozen Guardians behind her.

"Bunny!"

 _That's all it is. Sleeping. Nothing more. They won't…._

She flew harder. Bunny picked up his pace. They were running through and open field, rain soaking them. But the two didn't care.

They didn't even notice the water droplets freeze.

Bunny was thinking hard. The forest was in his perspective. _I'm the biggest jerk. I'm the biggest jerk that I've ever known. That Jack's known._

"Aster!" Tooth was catching up. _Better keep running._

The trees froze with every step he took, without him noticing. "Jack," he cried into the night air, frozen tears running down his face.

"Bunnymund!" Tooth screams, feet behind him.

The rabbit trips on a log, tumbling down a hill, never moving a leaf. When the fall ends, he curls up into a ball, sobbing.

 _Shame. Shame shame shame shame shame._

"Bunny, sh," Toothania whispers, curling around him. "It's alright. Jack's fine, Aster, he's fine."

"He is _not_ fine." His voice is surprisingly clear when he argues back. "We're stuck here, and Jack's _dying_ for Moon's sake. What if—"

"Don't think like that," she smiles. "Do you think Manny would let his grandson die?"

Understanding came crashing down on the rabbit. He blushed. "You think so? Manny's pretty bipolar."

"Trust me, I know."

A sigh of relief shone through Aster. "I overreacted."

"No you didn't," she smiled. "But I never knew you cared so much."

Defiantly blushing. "No I don't."

"Admit it—he's grown on you."

Bunny looked down, twiddling his thumbs. His mind was filled with the horrified look when he'd almost punched the boy. "He's grown on all of us."

He suddenly glanced around him, taking in the surroundings. Tooth was doing the same. "Why is everything frozen?"

"That's what I'm wondering." He pawed at the droplets in the air, marveling at their beauty. The moonlight hit them all at just the right angle to make them seem like diamonds. "It's beautiful."

"Beat me to it."

He chuckles. "When do you think this will end?"

Like his voice was a trigger, time comes back on. The two are hit with the coldness of the rain, of the moon, of the sorrow. Of the regret.

"We'll make it back, Bunny. I know we will." But even Tooth is skeptical.

 **So Bunny breaks down. I thought that would happen when pigs fly. Guess not!**

 **You would not believe it, but yesterday, I slept until THREE IN THE AFTERNOON. AND NOBODY EVEN BOTHERED TO WAKE ME UP.**

 **Don't worry, Jack doesn't die next chappy XD. I'm not THAT evil. But just a little, maybe...**

 **Next instalment will be up Tuesday! Sorry for the wait, but I'm doing a whole "three day wait" thing.**

 **Love you all and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT AND VIEWS! WE'RE ALMOST AT 1,000!**

 **Mini :)**


	6. Chapter 6 (Chapter 5)

**OMG THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT THIS IS GETTING IS OUTRAGEOUS. JUST PLAIN AMAZING.**

 **cArrY oN...**

* * *

Chapter Five

Two women fly through the air, diverse but the same.

The younger has long, flowing curly brown hair that the wind whips around her angular face and hazel eyes. Her wings are whiter than the moon, the tips five feet longer than the ends of her fingers. She wears an agate dress made of silk that streams in the breeze.

"I'm so excited, mother!" she says with joy.

"You do know why we're going there, right?" the older woman gives her a questioning look. "You do know what's happened?"

"Yes, but he'll remember us, yes?" the teenager gives a pleading look. Her mother doesn't answer. "Mother?"

"I don't know, Pippa."

"He's seen the memories."

"You've grown quite a bit, Pípere."

"But we look exactly the same!"

"Oh, dear," she says suddenly. "I haven't shown you the picture."

"Picture?" Pippa panics.

She pulls a small photo of an elfish looking boy with snow white hair and piercing blue eyes. Pippa looks up, horrified.

"What has Grandfather done to him?"

"Nothing, actually. But he has to fit the part of 'Jack Frost', and brown hair and eyes won't do." She looks up, seeing the beautiful buildings.

"Why isn't it snowing? And why is it melting?" Pippa said, flying low and picking some up. It ran through her fingers, slush.

"Jack's ill."

"I know that."

"He's _really_ ill. He has nightmare sand in him."

"Didn't they just defeat Pitch?"

"Pitch hit him with a wave of the stuff, driving it into his system. Sandy and the rest of the Guardians aren't helping them." She grimaced. That was concealed information. And she'd worded it completely wrong.

"What!"

"Pippa…."

"Medina!" she yelled, stopping them both midair. "He just saved their lives. Why aren't they helping?"

"I can't tell you."

"Mother."

"Manny said its hidden information."

"Well, he's the one who sent us here to help Jack, so I might as well know _why_ he's still injured in the first place."

Medina hesitated, shifting around nervously in the air. Manny had told her specifically not to tell her. How do you explain their situation to your 316 year-old daughter?

"Well, they're kind of seeing his memories."

* * *

The group of four watched the scene unfold before them.

"Jackie, will you wake up?" Pippa whispered, stealing a glance at the clock. She' been sitting on the edge of the queen-sized bed for the last hour, trying to wake her brother up, to no avail.

"I find it interesting that he isn't having nightmares." Sandy croaked out, wincing. He had five hours left until he'd go speechless for the next nine months.

"Must be Pippa," Tooth whispered, not really needing to. The memory couldn't hear them. "Medina said that she was his healing touch. She must be intercepting it somehow."

North shook his head. "That's amazing. Who knew they had such a strong relationship?"

"Jack looks better in general." Bunny said hoarsely.

"Jackie, please, _please_ wake up." The girl said slightly louder, collapsing beside him, crying profusely. "Jeván, don't die. Please don't leave me. You're safe, I'm safe. You don't need to hide from him anymore."

"Wow, my full name. Impressive, Pípere."

She gasped in shock, nearly falling off the bed. Jack launched himself sideways to catch her, doing so successfully. He grimaced at the strain the action had on his side.

"You jerk!" but Pippa was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. She latched onto his chest, tears running down her face.

"Oh, that's what I get for coming back from the dead?" Jack said with a smirk. It faded when he felt wetness on his shoulder. "Oh, Pip, don't cry."

"He's so sweet," Tooth caws.

"B-but you a-almost d-d-died."

"I'm back now, aren't I?" the thirteen-year-old asked. "Just a little pain. Nothing much."

"He beat you so b-bad." Pippa's muffled voice came from his shoulder.

Jack winced. "I know… I know, Pippa. But that's over now, right? Or were you lying when you told me we were safe?"

"No!" she jumped up again, putting her hands over her heart. "I swear, I'm not lying. We left that man after I knocked him out."

Jack laughed. "With what?"

"Plain self-defense. He came at me."

"No he didn't." Jack's face actually became hard and worried.

She grinned a little. "I used the really big frying pan."

"Great God, he never knew you were coming." Jack's eyes were dropping sleepily as he pulled her closer to him, snuggling next to her, face covered with brown hair.

"I'm sneaky."

"That you are." But it sounded more like "Taaa ya haaaaar." Either way, Pippa understood.

You could soon hear Jack's gentle snoring. His sister sighed, ruffling his soft hair.

"I love you, Jack." She sighs, and suddenly, she seems years older than them all. "Don't think I haven't noticed that grey streak. You're stressing yourself out. You need to stop taking the blows for us."

* * *

When the Guardians came to, sunlight was pouring through the window sills. Jack and Pippa were curled around each other, the sun reflecting off of their brown hair, making it look metallic. Their skin was warm and tan, despite it being December, and the bed sheets held a glow of gold that no other sunrise could produce.

The forest outside shone with morning dew and graceful waves of tree branches when the winds decided to make their move. Pathways to the stables, garden, and patio sparkled with the early morning rainfall that appeared in puddles where footsteps were made into mud and clay. Grass of both green and brown layered the acres the odd family owned.

A deer and her children ate prairie land peacefully, not a care in the world. Hills showed in the window near the bed, where horses ran free and the few birds left picked through the rapidly disappearing snow for seeds and whatnot.

The scene was one of a fantasy. And it left everyone speechless.

"Holy crap," Bunny said, breathless. "Their family has it good."

"Most of his family." Sandy corrected, but was just as amazed. Who knew something could be so beautiful?

But despite him and everyone else, Bunny was making plans with that scenery.

Jack suddenly yawned, bringing everyone back to reality. When he went to move, he noticed Pippa, still nestled against his chest. His face broke out into a soft, quiet smile, which grew troubled when he looked outside. His head moved around, as if he were looking for something.

"Jack?" a stifled voice came from the door.

"There's no way he's awake," an older one said. "You saw him."

"I can hope, can't I?"

"Rea, you're always hoping. His fever was extremely high last time I checked."

"Which was?"

"Right before sunset."

"A lot can change in a night."

"Yes, you're right. He could have gotten worse."

"You're such a pessimist."

"And you're an optimist."

By this time, Pippa had been awakened, and was grinning as hard as Jack was. They both broke out laughing, Pippa getting off the bed and walking up to the door.

"Auntie Rea. Auntie Willow." She opened it to surprised faces. One woman with her grey hair in a bun and glasses was holding three bags of medical supplies. The other seemed younger with less wrinkles, but her grey hair was down and beautifully curled messily. She held a breakfast tray.

"Pippa!" the older whispered, not even glancing at the bed. "What're you doing in his room? You could get sick!"

"Jack's fine."

"Dear—"

"Willow," Rea said, chuckling. "I'm gonna go help him eat his breakfast, since he _is_ awake." She strides in, placing the tray on the bed and hugging Jack tightly, who laughed.

"You two need to stop arguing."

"It's what siblings do," Willow says, also placing her tray down. She looks between Jack and Pippa before rephrasing, "Well, it's what _we_ do."

"Here, have some toast. Do you want orange juice or milk?" Rea starts.

"No, he has to take his herbs first. Then he can eat."

"But then it'll taste like rosemary. And rosemary does _not_ taste good."

"Better he's healthy than hungry."

"He could die from hunger."

"He could die from sickness."

Jack was turning red at all the attention. Pippa tugs at his sleeve, and he knows immediately what she's trying to say. And Christ, he needed it.

"Hey, Aunt Rea?"

"Yes? Oh, you must be—"

"Actually, no," he shakes his head, staring at the heaping plates of steamy sausages, eggs, and buttered toast. He gestures toward his sister. "I mean, yes. I am, but… so is Pippa, and there's no way I'm going to eat all that." A scared look fills his face. The Guardians are laughing with Pippa, who's barely hiding her own.

"Are you sure, honey?" Rea looks ashamed and is slightly red in the face.

Jack nods. "Don't worry, none of this will go to waste. May I have some water?"

"And orange juice for me?" Pippa asks quietly. "And I'll take the sausages—Jack's vegetarian, remember? And lactose-intolerant." She looks sad.

"They must not see each other much." Tooth understands immediately.

Willow was the one to answer. "I'll go make some avocado bread-spread for Jack." She suddenly stuffs a spoonful of green-liquid into his mouth. "Finally! You've gotten your medicine!"

"I'll…." Rea looks down.

"Aunt—" Jack starts, raising a hand. The disgusted expression from the medicine was clearing his face slowly.

"I'll go get some water." She leaves the room, carrying the milk and toast with her.

He sighs, tears filling his eyes. Pippa scoots over to him. "Jackie?"

"I wish I wasn't so stupid."

All the Guardians gasp, Pippa right along with them.

"Jack! You aren't stupid!"

"You saw them." He looks up. His eyes are slightly red and tear-filled. "They looked so ashamed that they accidently brought things I couldn't eat or drink."

"Jack…."

"They make the most wonderful food in the world. But I can't eat it."

"They understand, Jack. That doesn't make you stupid—you're special, that's all."

"Do you know anyone else with as many problems as me?" he gives her an incredulous look. "I'm lactose-intolerant. I'm vegetarian. I'm allergic to blueberries— _blueberries_ , Pippa! And to top it all off, I'm colorblind to nearly every color!"

"Not orange." She whispered, looking down.

Jack sighed. "I know, Pippa. That's my favorite color, remember? The type we only see at the sunrises every morning." He pulls her close to her, stroking her messy curls.

"I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Pip."

"But I made you feel bad."

"Hey," he looked at her with a sad smile. "Not my fault I got bad genes."

Everyone not in the memory was astonished at Jack's luck. Even _they_ didn't know anybody with that many problems. But Bunny looked at Sandy in question.

"Why do you look so pissed?"

Sandy used his last words of the two days right then.

"I am going to kill Manny."

* * *

 **Evil Cliffy of doom!**

 **And if any of you are pissed off about the amount of problems I gave Jack: they aren't that serious. They mainly just make him sad. And don't ask about the vegetarian one, because that one popped into my mind last minute.**

 **So don't freak.**

 **Chapter 6 (THE LONGEST ONE) will be up Friday! Hope you enjoyed this one! And there WILL be more of Pippa and Medina!**

 **Love you all!**

 **Mini**


	7. Chapter 7 (chapter 6)

**Here you go! The longest f*cking chapter in this whole story!**

 **cArrY oN...**

* * *

Chapter 6

A short, humble man stood at the edge of a cliff, watching below.

He sported long, thick, and black-feathered wings. His shirt was gray, pants blue, and shoes polished. A white cape fell behind him in a royal manner, as did the obsidian crown that sat upon his head.

Sighing, the brown-haired wonder flicked his hand, and appeared a near-duplicate of him with golden eyes.

"How dare you do that."

"Do what, may I ask?"

"Do what?" the younger screams, happy to have his voice back. "Do what! You _literally_ gave Jack _every single one of your problems_. Does he _still_ have them?"

"Sandman, you're so dramatic." He starts pacing around the room, not a guilty look in sight.

"Dramatic." Sandy replies, furious. "You're the one _barely_ keeping Jack alive in the real world. Do you realize how much this is all devastating him?"

"Yes."

"That's all you're going to say."

"Is there something else you want me to say?"

"Let us out of the memory."

"I can't do that. You need to see it all to understand how he feels."

 _"Manny,"_ Sandy growls, "does he still have them?"

For once he hesitated. A look of shame returned to his eyes, one that was there just minutes before Sandy had arrived.

"Does he still have them?" he yells.

"Yes. Yes!" Manny says in a low grumble. "There is nothing I can do. He was unlucky the moment he was born. He's selfless and erratic. He doesn't know what's he's doing half the time, and the danger it puts himself and others in. He doesn't have a pattern I can follow, and he is stupid!"

They're both quiet as the words sink in. Sandman looks up horrified, as does Manny.

"That's not what I meant!" he scrambles around for the right words. "I swear, I didn't mean any of that. This was supposed to be a learning experience, all this. The memories, everything."

"Stupid, you say?" he golden-eyed man replies sadly. "You're grandson has called himself that tenfold. You've just added to his guilt, despite him having nothing to be guilty about. My _nephew_ is dying the real world, but neither of us can do a _damn_ thing about it. Because I'm stuck in a memory, and you never dare to interfere."

"I sent his mother and sister to help him."

"They can't do a thing, and you know it." Sandy walks up to the grey-eyed, fists balled. "The most they will ever be able to do is comfort him."

"His sister is the daughter of healing. Her powers are infinite."

"Not to nightmare sand, they aren't. You already _know_ all this, Manny. But I have one more question for you." Sandy looks him dead in the eyes.

"Do you know how much time does he have left? Or are you making a guess, like you always do?"

And with that, the man is back in the memory, silencing his companion's questions.

Manny collapses, sobbing.

Waves become tsunamis of emotions around the world, filling everyone with the same depression he was facing. Yet no one knew why.

* * *

Pippa and Medina stared in wonder at the Pole.

Toys of all types were being produced in quiet alignment. Stairs led up to the many doors on the second, third, fourth floor. Flying turtles, butterflies, and planes soared over them in a straight line, missing their usual happiness and curiosity. It was a sad sight to behold.

"Manny said that we need to meet with the Healing Yeti… what was her name?" the older woman asked.

"Joy. She's on the top floor, waiting for us." Despite the Pole's condition, Pippa was still excited. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, or what she was about to see.

The pair made their ways up the stairs, becoming less and less enchanted as they ascended. The lights had been dimmed for Jack, since his eyes had become sensitive to light. Every yeti they saw either had a rag or medical supplies in their large hands. One was even spotted with a small vial of dream sand.

When they arrived at the door, an elderly beast answered it for them. Her fur was completely white, save for what seemed to be black tribal markings that went across her back. Her eyes were a bright, but slightly dulled, green that seemed to pierce through their greatest barriers.

"Hello, Joy." Medina greeted.

"Hello, Knight." Joy was the first and only yeti to learn and speak every language fluently.

Pippa was kneeled beside Jack's bed, eyes wide. His face was deathly pale (even more than usual) and sweat hung on him in sheets, despite both the yeti's and elves' best intentions with the use of rags. His breathing was rapid and held no healthy pattern within it. The life seemed to have left him over the week the Guardians had been asleep.

"Joy… what's wrong with him, exactly?" the young girl's voice broke towards the end.

"One of the yeti's told me of the fight, for the latter half of it, and nothing happened to him during that time." She rubbed her head, sighing. "The most I can gather is that it's from before the fight, when Sandy was destroyed."

"But Sandy came back, right?" Manny had not filled her or Pippa in on the details of the fight that had gone on a week before.

"Yes, he did. But I'm talking _right after_ he'd been taken over by the sand."

"What did Pitch do?" Pippa growled surprising them both by her anger.

"From what I've heard, Jack lost his temper and flew forward, toward Pitch at an alarming speed. He stopped, thankfully, but Pitch gathered his nightmare sand and forced it to him." She stopped, putting a hand on her chin. "I know there's more to it…."

"You forgot the part where I kicked his ass."

Everybody jumped in surprise, including the poor old yeti that was the most wide-eyed anyone had ever seen her. And she was the most immune to surprises, too.

"Jack?" she wondered, going to check his pulse. "How… how are you awake? The nightmares…"

"Oh, they're definitely still… there." He grimaced, sitting up slightly. "But, may I ask… who're they?" he nodded over to the other women in the room. Medina looked down sadly, while Pippa looked up in question.

"It's true?" she asked, walking closer to him. He looked up with a look in his eyes, like he was looking for something. "He really took away all your memories?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Well, I'm Angelic Knight," Medina said, smiling warmly, "And that's Daughter Silveric, the healing spirit."

"He's probably never heard of us, mother," she rolled her eyes. "In other words, we're Pippa and Medina Overland."

He froze, staring up at her. Eye wide and heart beating, he sat up straighter. "I know you, I know I do…"

Medina looked at Pippa in surprise, excitement in her eyes. "Do… do you remember us? We…." She tried searching for memories, but couldn't seem to reach any happy ones.

"Wait." He looked up, disbelief clear in his eyes. "Pippa?"

She smiled. "Yes."

To say that Jack was unprepared for this information would be an understatement. He had been completely in the black about the whole "my whole family are the most important spirits". And then, of all things to notice, he questions, "You, uh, look really young…?"

Her smile disappeared. "Well, looks like we have something other than genes in common." She cringed when she saw his sad expression.

"Pípere!" Medina whispered fiercely.

"Jack… do you remember Medina?" Joy questioned.

He looked at her intensely for a moment. "No… I probably do, somewhere, but all the memories I keep seeing are when Pippa and I were in this really nice mansion. She was never there."

A tear ran down her face. "Are… are your memories in color, Jack?" there was a slight hope that the condition he'd been born with had dissipated when he had been made a spirit.

"No. Why?" his eyes widened. "Should they be?"

"Jack…." Medina tried.

"All I see is gray," he grasped his head with his hands, breathing hard. "I… I'm colorblind. I thought the world was gray… my head hurts really bad…."

Silence filled the room, and it took everyone a minute to realize that Jack was unconscious. Joy was the first, gasping loudly enough to alarm everyone else. She scurried over to him, eyes flaring at the sight of blood coming from his ears. She started rubbing his temples with her index fingers, glowing slightly.

"This is the only reason he isn't dead yet," she sighed, removing her fingers and fetching a cloth. She wiped the blood from his cheeks and neck carefully. "He has episodes like this nearly every day, but it's never been this bad. And usually, he throws it up and he's over with it."

"I didn't know nightmare sand could do such a thing." Pippa said shakily, still feeling guilty for pushing Jack too hard.

"It can't. That's what I'm so confused about. From the information I was given, nightmare sand was the only thing that made contact and entered his skin. Although, I do have one theory." The yeti twiddled her thumbs nervously. "For what could be causing the internal bleeding."

Medina looked up. "What's that?"

"He would have had to hit something with extreme force."

"What… so he fell?"

Joy looked to Pippa. "There is bruising along his back, but nothing that should cause the bleeding. Although, it might have done something internally…."

Pippa suddenly looked up, like a light bulb had gone off over her head. "Hold up—let me see if I can find the source."

She knelt down next to his bed, laying his hands on his chest. A bright, blinding light shone through the room, and everyone closed their eyes. When it ended, Pippa was left staring in red-hot anger.

"Pip—"

"I was somehow able to access a memory," she breathed, standing up and shaping her wings, "of Jack and Pitch. I have no idea why, but Jack was in Antarctica. He had this golden capsule in his hands, and seemed to be trying to throw it off the cliff. Pitch appeared, and tried to get Jack to his side, but thank the moon, he refused. Then—"

They were whisked away from the scene and into another. Glaciers, snow, and freezing cold water surrounded the area of land they were on.

"We're in a memory," Joy said. Then looked to her left. "And there's a _pause button_?"

"Looks like we can control what we see." Pippa replied. "Oh, and this is the memory I was talking about."

They saw Jack run up the cliff and attempt to throw the golden capsule into the fog below, but seemed to rethink his actions at the last minute.

"I thought this might happen."

Jack's eyes widened, as did the rest of the spirits (besides Joy).

"They never really believed in you, I was just trying to show you that." He paused. "But I understand."

The reaction was instantaneous. "You don't understand anything!" a wave of ice rained down upon Pitch.

He blocked the attack, following up with his own. "I don't know what it's like to be cast out?" their elements collided, leaving dust and ice particles hanging in the air. "To not be believed in? To long for… a family?"

Jack's raised staff lowered a little as he took in Pitch's confession.

"All those years in the shadows, I thought—no one else knows what this feels like. But now I see I was wrong."

"Don't do it, Jack." The group looked on in anticipation. The staff was now lowered completely.

"We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you, and I _know_ children will too."

"In me?" his voice was tight and unconvinced.

"Yes! Look at what we can do!" he gestured up to the spiked ice that was stained black, like some sort of sculpture. "What goes together better than cold and dark? We can make them believe. We'll give them a world where everything, _everything_ is—"

"Pitch black?"

"Wow, he just screwed up." Medina smirked with Joy. Pippa's face was hard set as stone, a worried expression on her face, like she knew the future. Well, she kind of did.

"And Jack Frost, too." Pitch tried. "They'll believe in both of us."

"No, they'll fear both of us. And that's not what I want." He turned and started walking away. "Now for the last time, leave me alone."

Pitch looked at him with a menacing look. "Very well, you want to be left alone? Done. But first…."

Jack looked back just in time to see him pull out Baby Tooth, nearly crushing her with his tight grip. Joy knew the fight had just left him then, despite the staff that was now, once again, in the air and pointed at the dark man.

"Baby Tooth!"

"The staff, Jack!" Pitch yelled, and the boy looked down at it. "You have a bad habit of interfering. Now hand it over, and I'll let her go." Baby Tooth made a valiant effort to convince him the man was lying, ending up not very successful.

Jack flipped the staff and handed it to Pitch, who took it effortlessly. "Alright, now let her go."

His face turned smug. "No."

"Oh, low blow." Joy growled.

"You said you wanted to be alone," an evil expression covered his face, "so _be_ alone!"

Baby Tooth decided now was the best time to stand up for them both and stab Pitch's thumb. The Boogeyman cried out and flung her across the field (of snow) relentlessly.

Jack looked on in horror. "No…."

Pippa sat down, closing her eyes.

And then Pitch broke the staff in half. Jack cried out, groaning from the connection he had with the object. Pitch took this moment to fling Jack into the same chasm Baby Tooth had landed in. His back hit the side of it with inhuman force, and he was pulled under consciousness for a short three minutes.

"That explains the bruising… but the bleeding?"

"The staff." The memory had paused, but she chose to fast-forward to the end of the memory, where Jack and Baby Tooth flew off. Then she zoomed in. "He may have been able to fix it, but damaging your Harlond brings more damage to the owner than you think."

"Harlond?"

"Like a mental block." Pippa explained. "All focus and power goes into it. Usually, no one knows what theirs is, but it was essential to Jack's health. Manny must've realized he had so much power, and had to put it all into something he could use but not excessively. When it broke… Jack was damaged. But so _much_ was in his Harlond that when it broke…."

"It impacted Jack." Joy finished, a horrified look on her face.

"That staff was his weak spot." Medina said, catching on. "And we have no idea how many times it broke."

"Oh, don't worry," Pippa waved that off, "this was the first time. That crack you see? That will always be noticeable to Jack, but someone else might totally miss it, for the sole reason that they weren't _meant_ to."

"Then how are we seeing?"

Pippa hesitated. "I honestly don't know. Heck, I don't know my _own_ Harlond, and somehow, I just _knew_ what Jack's was and where the damage is."

"Must be because you're Daughter Silveric." Medina said.

"Yeah, well, I think it's because we actually _care_ about him. He was left alone for—how many years?—yes, 300, and he never had contact with another spirit." But she was upset.

They appeared back in the room, Pippa took off, out of one of the windows, taking note of the _rain_ that was falling and the rising of the tides. But she was one pissed-off spirit on a mission.

* * *

The Guardians had given up asking Sandy questions, since whenever he _did_ answer, the symbols were so fast that even Tooth couldn't decipher them.

Ten days had passed in the memory, and Jack was good as new. The stitches had been redone, thanks to a nightmare on the fourth night at the mansion had caused him to rip them out. The worst part of the whole ordeal… was the whole ordeal. There had been no sedatives left, and the nearest village that had some in stock was at least three nights away by horse.

So, the whole ordeal. Was. Painful. As. Hell.

It went kind of like this:

"You're sure as _hell_ that we don't have _anything_ that could out him to sleep?" Radella yelled over Jack's screaming, which had grown more and more intense each time the needle pierced his skin. The man everyone had come to know as Uncle (great-great) Walter. He had the steadiest hands and most medical knowledge in the whole family (despite Bunny—he was a magician when it came to stitches). He yelled back:

"You know, Radella, I'm pretty sure I would've used them if we had any! Edmond and George still aren't back from their ride to Havard, and we ran out of medical supplies days before the two of them got here."

Jack cried out once again when the needle made its way in. "Stop! P-please s-stop!"

"Honey," Radella soothed, running her hand along his hair. "You're fine, we're just fixing you up, you're fine…."

"S-stop!" he screeched, arching. Walter cursed.

"We need to do this now, but there's no way I'll be able to complete it without seriously injuring him. He's too sensitive to pain right now."

"Well, what're we supposed to do?" Radella said with a panicked look. Jack was still screaming, but his eyes were fluttering and his breathing was shortening.

"Radella, you know exactly what you're supposed to do."

Her eyes shut. "Uncle—"

"Radella, I'd prefer not to kill Jack right now. And you don't want to cause him pain." He shouted. "So, Radella, knock him out! He still has five more injuries that require stitching, dammit!"

"Fine! Fine!" she thrust her hands onto Jack's chest, where in response, he shuttered, then became still.

"You're sure you didn't kill him?" Walter asked, skeptical and worried as he checked Jack's pulse.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure. Now get the stitches done. He's gonna be out for a while, but that doesn't mean you get to take a break." She stormed out, tears in her eyes.

Walter sighed, knowing he'd pushed her too far, and continued with the stitches, stroking Jack's head every time he whimpered.

"I know, Jack. Her magic doesn't do good." He looked up, out of the window. "It never does."

* * *

The Guardians were sitting in the new room that Jack had been put in, watching him and Pippa sleep soundly, aside from the whimpers that came from Jack every once in a while.

"So, does anyone actually know what she did back there?" Tooth asked, wide-eyed. They'd been avoiding this conversation the whole day.

North shook his head. "I have no clue. But what did Walter mean by 'her magic doesn't do good'?"

"Well, she seemed to be pissed." Bunny pointed out. "Like she didn't want to use it."

"But what did it _do_?" Tooth wondered. "I mean, it knocked Jack out, but it was for his own good. She didn't want him to be in pain…."

"But she was acting like it would kill him or something." North said.

"Well, it didn't."

"I know that, Bunny."

"Just pointing it out, mate."

Tooth looked to Sandy, desperation written all over her face. "Sandy, please? Talk to us. Or at least tell us that you don't know."

He crossed his arms, turning away. He knew it was wrong to be taking out his anger on his friends, but he was still mad at Manny. He sighed, knowing he'd have to tell them one day.

He symbolized, talking to Tooth. She gasped.

"You talked to _Manny_?" she got the others' attention.

Nodding. Symbols.

"He sent Daughter Silveric and Angelic Knight to help heal him?" she smiled, as did the others.

He shook his head, a sad look in his eyes. Symbols.

"But they can't help him." Her face dropped. "And Jack doesn't have much time left. No more than a week."

"Daughter Silveric can heal anything." North said, confused.

"If it was just nightmares, then yes, she could." Tooth replied. "But this is nightmare _sand_ , and we need to transform it back into dream sand, like it was in the first place."

"Sandy." Bunny realized, groaning. "Was there anything else he had to say?"

Sandy bit his lip, debating whether or not to tell them. He relayed to whole statement to Tooth, whose eyes turned ice cold, scaring the other two.

"Uh, Tooth?" Bunny started. "Are, you, um—"

"How the _hell_ could he say that?" She screamed, alarming everyone. She was never like this. "How could he say that about his own _grandson_? Jack is fucking dying out there, and he says _that_!"

North gaped (oh my Moon, she cursed). "Can we, um, know?"

Tooth stormed out, screaming bloody murder and trying to punch things in the front field.

Sandy shrugged, holding his hands up in a "not my fault" motion. Bunny sighed, rubbing his head. "It must've been _really_ bad if shelia is, well, _that_." He gestured out the window, chuckling nervously.

They were shaken from the fuming Toothania when they heard a rustle in one of the beds. They turned around to find Pippa sneaking out of the bed, towards the door.

"You aren't even going to _try_ to do anything." They heard a harsh whisper. Radella.

Pippa opened the door quietly, tip-toeing down the hall to the cracked door. The Guardians peaked through with her to find a lady with brown hair and green eyes waving wildly in the air.

Pippa gaped. "Mama."

"Della, there's nothing I _can_ do."

"Medina, do you hear yourself?" she growled. "You're just going to let him be _alone_ for three hundred years? He won't know a thing—a _damn_ thing! You aren't going to tell anyone, even the Guardians."

"Well, yes."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean? And why just him? You and Pippa are going to have the time of your lives."

"No, we won't." she glared. "Manny said we aren't allowed to interfere. Jack—"

"Do you realize that he'll resent him?" Radella countered, infuriating her even more. "Manny. He won't know that he's his grandfather, but how is this all supposed to work out?"

"He'll become a Guardian."

"After _three-hundred bloody years_!" she nearly yelled. "He won't want to be a Guardian, Medina. Why are you telling me all this? They're down the hallway, why don't you just tell them. I'm so sure they'll _understand_."

Her eyes widened. "They won't understand, and you know it."

"You know what I _also_ know? That Jeván won't understand for the whole three-hundred years that Manny decided that he needed alone. What the hell did Jack even do?"

"Nothing. It's just that after saving her—"

"He'll need time find out his center, blah blah blah." Radella cursed loudly. "He isn't going to. He won't even know that he _has_ a _damned_ center to begin with. How is he supposed to find it?"

"It's a feeling."

"That he _won't_ have because he'll have all his memories wiped clean."

"That's not my fault."

"No, it is." Radella screamed. "Because you aren't even going to _try_ to change Manny's mind. You're just going to be a submissive bastard."

Medina stood up, as did her sister. "Quiet down, idiot! We don't want them to hear this."

"And they won't. I knocked Jack out."

"I heard about that."

"No, you probably saw it when you were staring into Manny's shoes."

"Shut _up_ , Radella." Her eyes widened. "Oh, God, Pippa."

Pippa had been silent the whole time while she digested the information. When she found out that she'd been discovered, she leaped up and bounded silently down the hallway and crashed into her bed, pretending to fall asleep.

Medina and Radella stormed into the room, staring her "sleeping" form down until sighing deeply.

"Well, at least she's a deep sleeper." Radella smiled in relief, until she looked behind herself to find that she was the only one standing in the room. "Bloody bastard."

Bunny turned to Sandy immediately. "Is this what Tooth is pissed about?"

Sandy shook his head, breathing deeply.

North groaned. "I am _so_ going to kill Manny."

* * *

Pippa landed at the hole near Jack's lake, memories flooding her. She shook them off, plunging into the hole, eyes cold and unforgiving.

Pitch was sitting at a desk made of black sand, where he bowed his head. It took Pippa a few minutes because of the confusing hallways, but when she made it to the room, she stomped her foot.

He turned around in surprise. "Pippa?"

"Don't you _dare_ call me that, devil." She yelled, storming up to him and slapping him. He spun around, now out of the chair, before getting back up and cradling his cheek.

"What was _that_ for?" his eyes held fear.

"How could you _dare_ hurt him? Especially in his weak spot? And _nightmare sand_ , seriously?"

Pitch was confused. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

"Jack, asshole. I'm talking about _Jack_."

"I never hurt him." But he had a suspicion that was a lie.

"Oh, so the bed-ridden, nightmare sand-filled boy that's sweating to death and barely breathing wasn't _your_ fault?" she asked, deadly sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"He's hurt?"

"Don't you _fucking_ dare sound so innocent. How did you know?"

Pitch stared, clueless. "Know what?"

"His _staff_ , Black. How did you know that was it?"

"Wait wait wait—" he held his hands up, realization dawning over his face. "His _staff_ is his _Harlond_?"

"You didn't know." Skepticism.

"No, I had no clue. And even that shouldn't be causing him the amount of pain it is. It's just a staff."

"Tell me, what happened after you decimated Sandy?"

"Oh, Moon." He gasped, remembering. "What did Manny—"

"Manny gave Jack power." Pippa held a shining sliver knife to Pitch's throat, emitting a gulp. "Too much power to just be put in a _necklace_ or a _tattoo_. That staff holds memories only him and I know about, and you _broke_ them."

"I had no idea. But he fixed it."

"There's lasting damage, idiot." They were quiet for a while. She lowered her knife, staring into his unforgiving cat eyes. "I'm leaving now, but I _swear_ , if you take advantage of him in this state, I will kill you. Because despite what you believe, fear can be killed, and Manny can assign someone much more fit for the job."

She turned to leave.

"Don't you dare doubt me. Siblings are worth protecting, especially when you've never had the chance to do so."

* * *

Three days had passed since Pippa and Medina had arrived. The workshop's condition had worsened, Jack's health deteriorating, combined with the mess Pitch had made, brought everyone's spirits, along with the toy production, downhill. Even Phil didn't have the heart to argue whenever someone told him to paint a whole set of toys the opposite color. Jingle didn't jingle, and both of them came to see Jack whenever they had the chance. Cookies weren't made anymore because of the absence of their boss.

Tooth's fairies barely made it by, often too preoccupied with the troubles at hand. The only real emergency suitable leader, Baby Tooth, was an emotional mess, never leaving the sick room and always seated on the bedside table, wings forgotten.

Mother and daughter watched in harmony as the small friends of Jack and the Guardians talked about the situation.

"Jack told me," Jamie whispered in a hoarse voice. "He told me he would make it snow. He said that this would be the longest, most beautiful and fun-filled winter that I had ever imagined. It's not just him, either. Bunny's eggs are cracking without being dropped. They never move anymore, and the belated Easter that he promised never happened. Sophie won't stop crying, and when she thinks I can't hear her, she says stuff like 'they're hurt' and 'I never dream anymore'. She sounds _my_ age, which is way too mature."

Pippa bit her lip. "Jamie…."

"Tooth's fairies move so slowly whenever they come through the night. When I say hello, they start crying and run off, like I was going to hurt their grandma."

"Jamie." Medina said, attempting to rub her headache away. She hasn't had to deal with an eleven-year-old in….

Oh, yeah.

"Silveric, Knight, look at the Pole! The _yetis_ aren't loud enough, and—" his breathing halts. "Where are the Guardians?"

"That's what we're trying to tell you." Pippa stands up, wings forming. "I'm coming to get you. This is the kind of situation you have to see for yourself."

"What about Sophie?"

"Do you _want_ your sister to be traumatized for the rest of her life?"

"It's that serious?"

"Jamie," Medina said softly, "let's just say that, around here, nothing is going right."

A few minutes later, Pippa and Jamie were flying back to the Pole, rain falling around them. She rolled her eyes. "You have questions."

"Yeah," he rubbed his neck. "Like, who're you?"

"Daughter Silveric."

"No, no, I mean, _who_ are you."

"I'm afraid I'm confused."

"Well, like, Jack." She stiffened. "He was obviously someone before he was Jack Frost. I searched up some stuff in the library with my friends. There're a lot of mythical stories about 'Jack Frost', but none of them fit the description."

"Where're you going with this?" _There's no way he found out the truth. That was_ three hundred _years ago!_

"I don't know. When Jack was here, when I couldn't see him, the lake was always frozen."

 _Oh, shit sticks._

"And now that he's gone, it thawed. And it's always cold in Burgess, even in March. And I've noticed that even through the summer, that lake is cold and frozen over. So, obviously, no one could've drowned in it, right?"

 _Definitely shit sticks._

"But, there was an incident back in 1712, a guy named Jeván Overland, also known as Jack, saved his sister sometime during the month of March, drowning himself in the process."

 _How the hell is this stuff even on the Internet to begin with?_

"His body were never found, but researchers predict that it was the body of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old. I couldn't even find the date it happened, but my best guess—"

"March fifteenth, 1712." Pippa mumbled as he clambered off her back and onto the soaked stone, shivering but gaping.

"Did you just say...?"

"We're going to talk about this later, you and I." She pointed at him, making him step back. Pippa rubbed my temples, walking into the Pole and up the stairs, Jamie following close behind with a surprised look on his face. "Maybe even with my mother. It's just _too_ complicated to deal with right now. We have a long history, and we're going to leave it at that."

"But—"

"Jamie!" I yelled, wincing at his hurt expression. "I can't deal with telling you all this right now, okay? I can't possibly explain to you that Jack, the spirit you believed in, is my brother, and _did_ in fact save me when I was ten. I was stupid and went on the thin ice even after he told me not to. Our family has a _long_ history with Manny, and his best Guardians are watching his memories. Sandy is asleep, and he's the only one who can remove the nightmare sand still in Jacks body."

Breathing. Gasps. Silence.

"Oh, hello, Jamie." Medina pokes through the door, brows furrowing in confusion. They lifted. "Pípere, you just told him everything, didn't you?"

"Well, not _everything_."

"The situation, that is." Pippa corrected.

And so they went in. The two winged women made way for Jamie, who stood horrified in the middle of the room, a fixed stare on the bedridden sprite he'd come to know so well.

He ran to his side, kneeling and laying his hand over Jack's. They both shivered simultaneously, raising brows from both the spirits watching. Jamie turned around after patting Baby Tooth on the head, who squeaked in sympathy.

"What the heck is wrong with him?" his eyes were downright scary.

"Like I said," Pippa replied, "there's nightmare sand in him."

"But _how_?"

"Well," the yeti responded this time around. "He was hit with the black stuff before you actually met him. Then, his staff was broken."

"What's so important about his staff?"

"A Harlond is a spirit or sprite's power and energy source. Jack had so much of it, it couldn't be put into something small. So he has to work side-by-side with it in harmony, because if he doesn't have his staff, two _very_ bad things could happen."

"Like?"

Medina continued. "One, he could lose control of the energy stored within it. Blizzards unlike anyone's ever seen would rake through the world, killing everything in its path. Or, even worse, he could lose his powers."

Jamie rubbed his neck. "How is that bad?"

Pippa piped up. "Jack has so much power that most of his bodily energy is stored in his staff. It's basically his life force. If it was destroyed…."

"Jack… would die." Jamie croaked out. "But… he already died… and isn't he immortal?"

"Technically. But Manny could take pity on him… and he's never had good luck, either." Medina said, looking at Pippa, who chuckled nervously.

"Yeah… rough childhood."

"Bad luck?" the small boy questioned further.

Pippa groaned. "He had some minor conditions…."

"Tell the boy." Joy was just as intrigued.

Silveric hesitated, before sighing. "Lactose-intolerant, vegetarian, allergic to blueberries… and colorblind."

Silence filled the room. Medina couldn't remember half of those, knowing she hadn't seen him in centuries.

"He's colorblind?" Jamie asked in a small voice, a sad look in his eyes.

"Born with it. Although, he can see bright colors, like orange and yellow."

He bowed his head. "This is so sad."

"Tell me about it." They all bowed their heads in a prayer.

 _Save him. Spare him, Lord. Let him survive through this all._

* * *

Bunny was fuming.

North was fuming.

Tooth and Sandy were attempting to calm them down. They haven't been successful for the last five hours. _Five freaking hours._

After Tooth had calmed down and apologized for her reaction (no, no, you're fine—anyone would've reacted that way), she told the clueless Guardians that stood expectantly.

And now they're fuming.

"Why would he _say_ such a thing?" North boomed.

"He's off his wacker! Stupid good-for-nothing." Bunny yelled.

Tooth raised her hands. "Now, now, I thought the same thing—"

"Thought!"

"Think." She corrected with a roll of her eyes. "But I calmed down, right? You guys need to do the same thing."

"What Manny said was unacceptable!" North's eyes narrowed. "And you're _agreeing_ with him?"

"What?" she took a step back. "No!"

"Sure you aren't." Bunny challenged. "But you aren't doing anything to prove him wrong. You're just standing there, acting like it didn't affect you."

"No I'm not." She countered.

"Tell me what you've done."

"Well… I—"

"Nothing!" North interrupted. "You've done nothing."

Sandy stood up, furious and tired of their behavior. They were Guardians, for Moon's sake. Arguing and accusing wasn't and _still isn't_ on the schedule.

He simply walked up to them both and slapped them. Hard. So hard, that it left a small, gold handprint on their surprised faces.

"You two need to stop!" Tooth screeched for Sandy. "I haven't done _shit_ , you're right! But have you, North? Bunny, tell me what you've fucking done to change Manny's mind?"

He stuttered, caught. "Uh…."

"That's damn right! _Nothing!_ All we've all done is scream and shout at each other while Manny cries his ass off up there!" she pointed up, through a skylight in the main entrance. "I am tired of you two teaming up on me and accusing me of not helping, because for God's sake, I _screamed_ and _shouted_ and _cried_ while you guys found out information about Jack. And you even found out that Manny _set Jack up_. You found out valuable information, that we're doing absolutely _nothing_ with, because you two can't control your bloody temper like I could. You couldn't take it outside, scream at the moon like we _always_ do, and cry yourself dry of tears.

"You couldn't pull your asses together and _listen_ to me! Because, according to Sandy, it was the heat of the moment, and Manny had no idea what he was saying! I can _feel through_ memories, remember? There're tsunamis and earthquakes and blizzards appearing all over the globe. The rain never stops. High tide never ends. Manny is _killing_ himself up there, because he still isn't confident enough to go down into the world and heal Jack himself. He is guilty as _hell_ and won't sleep. He hates himself for everything he said about his grandson. _His own grandson is dying and he knows it._ "

Sandy's mouth turned up in a smile, happy to finally have the old, short-tempered Toothania back, even if it was only temporary. She can simply put them in their places.

Bunny and North stood in shame, looking down at their feet. They hadn't been yelled at in years—not like that, at least.

"Uh… sorry, shelia." Bunny rubbed the back of his neck, his accent coming in strong in guilt.

"Yeah. I apologize." The Russian man mumbled.

All of a sudden, a bright light engulfed them. They shared shocked glances, and when the world came back, a boy ran through them.

That boy was Jack Overland.

"I think this is another memory." Tooth said.

"He looks so much older." Bunny inquired, eyes narrowed. "How old was he before?"

"Thirteen."

"At _least_ fifteen, then." Tooth guessed. Little did she know, that was his exact age.

"Jack!" a girl with blonde hair squealed. When the Guardians saw her, she was a young girl of nine. "I'm gonna get you!"

"You forget that I'm the fastest in the village!"

"You're never _at_ the village, dummy." A boy the age of the girl with brown hair shoots back, catching up rapidly. "You only go to the school."

"He works at the bakery, too." Pippa appears behind them, panting profusely. "And the library."

"Whatever. You guys live in that awesome mansion. What reason would you have to be here, anyways?" the blonde said.

Jack halted. "To be with you guys, of course!" he picked her up, earning squeals.

"That's not the only reason."

His face turns serious. "Don't even start, Pippa."

"You like _Widow_."

He becomes red. "Pippa, shut up."

"You're not even denying it!" the brown-haired boy screeches. "Jack likes Widow! Jack's in _love_!"

"I'm gonna kill you later."

Pippa smiled. "I know."

"What's all the fuss about?" a red-haired girl with sparkling green eyes walked up to them, smacking the small boy. "Has Edward been bothering you again?"

Jack smiled. "Yeah, they all have."

"Hey!" the blonde said.

"Except you, Nicole."

Jack looks at the time on the large clock in a nearby tailors shop. "It's time to go home, Pip. Aunt Radella would be upset if we skipped curfew."

"Again." Pippa added thoughtfully. She turned to Nicole. "Will you be able to get home safely on your own? It's really dark out. Widow could take you with her and Edward."

"No, Pips, I'm good. I have a lantern too, remember?" she pulled one out.

"Are you two sure you can get home safe?" Jack asked Widow, who laughed.

"Of course we can. You guys should worry about yourselves for a change." She punches him slightly. Then her face transforms. "I mean, not that you _don't_ —"

"You're fine, Wid." He hugged her and Edward, then ruffled Nicole's hair. "Remember, scream if you're in trouble. That goes for _all_ of you."

"You too, Jeván." Widow replies, a hard look in her eyes.

He stiffens. "That was one time."

"And what did that one time cost?"

He sighed. "I know. I know. It… it won't happen again."

"I don't like the hesitation."

"What hesitation?"

"Jack." She gives him a sympathetic look. "I know you took that hard."

"I don't want to talk about her."

"Talking about Gwen might be exactly what you need."

"Widow. Don't." he lets out a breath, tears forming. "Please."

She sighed. "Alright. See you all tomorrow?"

"Yep. Remember your half of the project, Edward." Pippa said with a laugh. "Wouldn't want to get a failing grade again, would we?"

"Shush. I forgot."

"Oh, yeah, that's what you say every time you don't finish home—"

"Okay! Let's go, Pip." Jack laughed, tugging her along.

Both groups go their separate ways, laughing or talking or being quiet. The sky darkened quickly after that, the moon shining with the most ferocity any of the Guardians had ever seen.

* * *

 **7,000 words! OMG!**

 **I almost posted the last chapter just now XD I got it confused with this one.**

 **TOOTH F*CKING SNAAAAAPED THAT WAS SO F*CKING FUN TO WRITE! YOU DONT EVEN KNOW. IT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING FEELING, LIKE, MY BRAIN EXPLODED.**

 **I know, that was an overreaction. But oh, well, I loved writing those two paragraphs. In case you didn't already know.**

 _ **one more chappy! It's getting close, guys!**_

 **Love you all!**

 **Mini**


	8. Chapter 8 (Chapter 7)

**So... well, sh*t. I am so freaking sorry. And please, DO NOT accept that apology. I deserve to be shunned for making you all wait... two? Three months? I don't even know.  
**

 **Let's just say that I really didn't feel like writing, and now I'm in school, and so on and so on... things just added up. Not to mention I'm horrible with schedules. Such good times!**

 **But in all seriousness, I really am sorry.**

 **Love you all!**

 **cArrY oN...**

Chapter 7

"You know, you never really told me about that."

Jack looked down at Pippa. "About what?"

"What happened to Gwen?"

He looked away. "Nothing happened to her."

"Something happened." Pippa pushed on. "I know she died, and I know you were with her, but what _happened_ that makes you so upset and guilty? It's not like you made her die."

"Pippa…."

"You never _tell_ anyone." She argued. They stopped in the middle of the road. "Only Widow knows. Granted, Widow knows _everything_ wrong and right about you. But you haven't told any of the family, Jack. We _saved_ you, remember? You still have that nasty scar, and you have seizures every once in a while, but what about Gwen? We found both of you unconscious, and when we turned to her, she was _dead_. What happened that was so bad? Why won't you tell us? What are you—"

"Hiding?" he turns to her, incredulous. "Everything, Pippa. My feelings, my emotions, that _day_. Because even though I couldn't have done anything, I have the day relaying in my head. Some group ambushed us. They had knives and bats, and they started beating on us. I had my own pocketknife, but I froze on the spot. They got me as they were beating her, Pippa. They slashed deep into my stomach, _deep_. But all I could hear were her screams. They haunt me. Everything haunts me. Because I was a coward and didn't move."

She breathed. Her mouth opened and closed. But before she could say anything, he looks at something behind her.

"I'm not gonna let it happen again, Pípere. Get to the ground and _scream_!" he yells, pushing them behind a wagon. She did as he asked, because they were surrounding them. Ten, tall, buff men with masks and knives and bats.

"I don't care if your throat hurts, Pippa." Jack whispered, hiding her behind his body. "Because _these_ are the men, and only our family knows what to do."

The mansion stood on the far side of the hill. _We were so close,_ Pippa thought as her throat ran dry. She swallowed and started up again. _Wait…._

"A little longer, Pip." He groans, clutching his arm. "They're coming."

She looked at his shoulder in question. Her screaming momentarily stopped, turning into a cry. "Jack! Oh, God, _Jack_ …"

 _There's so much blood. Why hasn't he taken the blade out?_

 _Oh, yeah, he'd bleed more._

They turned to the left of the glowing lights to see a girl on horseback, her curls flowing in the wind. Jack choked.

"No no no no no."

"Is that Widow?" her question goes unanswered, as one of the men fall dead. An arrow sticks out of his neck, raising a brow from Pippa.

"Find them!" they heard Edmond yell. Pippa sighed in relief, still screaming so they could pinpoint their location.

"Pippa…." Jack got into a crouching position. "Follow me, we need to get to the other side."

They bolt across the road, alarming a few of the masked men. They start throwing knives, seeming to have an infinite amount. One slashed Pippa's arm, emitting a cry from her. Jack soothed her, whispering careful and thoughtful tunes into her ear.

Suddenly, he pushes her out of the way and into the horse-ridden side of the Overland family. She looked at him in question, until she realized what he'd done.

 _"Jack!"_

He'd been hit in the chest with a knife. He gagged, staring down at the blood running from his chest in wonder. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his heart.

Then his eyes shut.

"Jeván!" Widow screamed, eyes alit by the fire that had been set to the haystack near the wagon.

Radella froze, staring at the body on the ground, only now realizing that it was her nephew. She can hear Medina screaming in her head, crying and yelling profanities.

 _Jack…._

 _Go! Get him! Get him_ now _, Radella!_ More crying. _Don't let my son die…._

She rushes forward too fast for anyone to comprehend, kneeling down next to him and taking his lean body in her arms. She immediately feels his blood rush onto her dress, soaking it down to her skin. She cursed.

 _He's losing too much blood._

 _He's… he's letting go!_ Medina screeched. _He's not supposed to die this way… this can't be happening. Oh, God, this can't be happening._

 _Sister—_

 _Radella, his pulse…._

 _What of it?_

 _There isn't one. He's… he's gone._

Her whole body stiffened, shifting her head to stare down into her nephew's pale face, tears streaming down her face. One look to the group (which had successfully rid the lot of the bandits) confirmed it all.

Jack was dead.

She laid him down on the ground, staring in shock. Pippa furrowed her brows, running up to him and checking his pulse. Where she found none.

"Auntie… Aunt Della, what's wrong?" she panics, desperately feeling for a pulse. "Della, what happened? Why can't I feel his heart?"

"Pips… he's gone." Her voice is broken.

"No… no, he promised he wouldn't leave me. He promised!" she screamed in protest, backing away. "You're lying!"

"Pippa…."

"Widow." She screeched. "Do something! You know medicine better than any of us!"

"Pips, I can't bring someone back from the dead." Her breath caught. "Even if I really wanted to."

Edmond's eyes shine with tears. He and the others looked away, grief-stricken.

 _He can't be dead. No, no, Manny's just tricking us. He'll be back any second now._ Medina's voice denied it with her life.

 _Sister…._

 _NO!_

Pippa walked up to Jack, whose face laid wax on his face. She collapsed beside him, sobbing. "You are not dead." She pulled both knives out with brutality.

Radella's eyes widen. "Pípere!"

"You are _not_ dead, Jeván." She growled, pounding on his chest. "I demand you to come back."

"Pippa!" Walter gasped, getting off his horse and bolting toward her.

"WAKE UP!" she roars, her fists hitting him once more. Walter pulled her away gruffly, dragging her to his horse.

Radella heard a gasp in her head. _Medina?_

 _Oh, thank the Lord I had Pippa._

 _What're you—_

Jack's body lurched from the ground as he sucked in a breath. Then another. And another.

 _Bu-bum._

 _Bu-bum._

 _Bu-bum._

 _Bu-bum._

Radella scrambled next to him, holding bandaging. His breathing is erratic and uncoordinated, scaring her. He's choking.

"Widow, help me get him on his side!" she yells, beckoning her over. They do so, allowing the blood clogged up in his throat to flush out onto the ground.

"That's what happened." Widow whispered. "He drowned in his own blood."

"Pippa pounded it out of him." Radella said in amazement.

They both got him to the wagon they'd brought and laid him down. Pippa agreed to stay in the back with him since she didn't have a horse.

A white light once again surrounded them, bringing the Guardians out of their shock.

"He died." Bunny's mouth moves as if he was going to say something more.

"Oh, Moon, he _died_." Tooth said, aghast.

They appeared in the main room in the mansion. Pippa and Jack were tying their laces on their ice skates, eyes full of excitement.

A slender, green-eyed girl with long, red hair comes out of the room with a book in hand. She smiled at them both.

"I wish I could skate with you guys."

Jack chuckled. "Widow, there's no way you're going with your ankle like that." He gestured to her cast.

"I'm gonna get Edward back for that."

"If I remember correctly," Jack kissed her cheek. "You already did."

Pippa made a disgusted face. "Ew!"

Widow chuckled, ruffling her hair. She bent down and kissed her on her forehead. "Be good to your brother, Pips."

"But he's always mean to me!" she replied, giggling.

"Hey!" his eyebrows shot up. Then he laughed and flicked Pippa on the head, turning back to Widow. "We'll _both_ be nice to each other."

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" she yelled, bolting out to the lake, skates dangling by their strings in her hands.

He got a determined look in his eyes and prepared to do the same. Widow frowned, grabbing his arm.

"Jack… I still don't think this is a good idea."

He sighed. "Wid, I checked it this morning. It's still frozen."

"But the ice isn't strong enough to support you both."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to us."

"You said that last year." She spat, crossing her arms.

He winced. "I—I know, Widow. But I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yeah, because you weren't drowning." She realized she'd it a weak spot.

Jack stiffened. "I did drown."

"Well, we can't get you out of the water—"

"I don't want to talk about this." His face is pale and panicked. "Trust Pippa. If anything happens to me, she'll let you know. The lake isn't that far away. And…."

"Jeván, I can trust you to save her. I have no doubt that she'll be safe the entire time." She let out a breath. "You're that type of person."

He gives her a weird look. "I'm stupid?"

"Selfless. Brave. Stupid. _Annoying_."

"Aw, thank you." He chuckled, kissing her deeply. Their eyes shut.

"Something bad is going to happen." Bunny predicted, a worried look on his face. "It must be significant, like the other two memories. One, we figured out what his family was and had on Manny. The other one…."

"We saw the impact his sister had on his life." North finished.

"So all that's left…." Tooth said, fearful.

Sandy made a symbol of a snowflake above his head. They all nodded.

Tooth looked down, closing her eyes. "Jack."

Widow smiled, waving him off. Pippa had come back, impatient as ever, and was pulling on Jack's arm. "Be careful" She told the two of them.

He grinned. "We will."

Little did they know, Radella was watching with a misty look in her eyes.

* * *

A yeti appeared at the doorway to Jack's room, mayhem flowing behind him.

Toys flew through the air, yetis and elves ran around wildly. Blurs of green and purple flew in the midst of it all, scaring Jack's roommates quite a bit.

"Phil?" Joy asked, confused. "What is it? Did someone get hurt?"

He shook his head, eyes as wide as his smile. He yelled "gurglawabaga" and "gilfuwababa", pulling questioned looks from Pippa, Medina, and Jamie, who had been frowning at Jack's worsening condition just a minute before.

Joy froze. "You're sure?"

More noises.

"They're coming around?"

Gurgles.

"Toothania's _awake_!" she takes off across the room, screaming the fairy's name.

Jamie shot up. "What about Sandy?"

Phil shook his head "no".

"Bunny? North?"

"None of them are awake." A high-pitched voice came from the door. Tooth hovered there with Joy, who looked like she would faint any moment. "I think they're still watching the memory."

"Which one?" Medina asked.

The fairy turned to Pippa, narrowing her eyes. "You know _exactly_ which one."

She became pale as the feathered woman flew over to Jack, collapsing next to him. She took his temperature, pulse, and breath, frowning.

"He's barely hanging on."

"He was barely breathing." Jamie said.

She raised a brow. "That's just the beginning of it all. It's the nightmare sand and something else…."

"His Harlond." Medina finished. "It was damaged."

"Pitch?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "As long as she isn't messing with him or us anymore, I'm fine. I won't seek revenge and set a bounty on our heads."

"How come you aren't watching the… memory?" Pippa choked out, sitting down.

"I can access it any time I want." Tooth replied. "I _am_ the Guardian of memories, you know."

Joy gasped. "Oh, God, Jack!"

* * *

"Where'd Tooth go?" Bunny asked, looking around.

"Manny must've let her go." North answered. "She can access this memory any time she wants. And now, she's with Jack, most likely helping him."

Jack held his hand out. "It's okay, it's okay—don't look down, just look at me." By now, his own skates were off.

"Jack… I'm scared." Pippa said suddenly, looking down in fear at the cracks forming below her skates.

He cursed himself mentally, knowing he shouldn't have brought them out here when the ice had just formed. "I know, I know." He grimaced when his own footstep made flaws in the ice. "B-but you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in. Uh… we're gonna have a little fun instead!"

"No, we're not!"

"Would I trick you?"

"Yes, you _always_ play tricks!"

He chuckled nervously. "Alright, well n-not not this time." His hand is out. "I promise, I promise you… you're gonna be just fine." _What have I done? I should've listened to Widow._

Pippa's eyes lifted in happiness.

"You have to believe in me."

She took a breath.

"You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch! Like we play every day." He smiled. "It's as easy as one…." His expression faltered for a moment before changing back to the original happy grin. He pretended to almost trip. "Woa-ah!"

She laughed.

"Two… three!" he'd made it over to the Shepard's crook he always carried around since they left their stepfather. Lashes had cut into his spine, making it hard to walk at times. "Alright. Now it's your turn."

Pippa frowned, looking down and taking a step.

"One…." Jack scooted a little closer. When she gasped, he said, "That's it, that's it. Two…."

She bent over, breathless.

"Three!" he hooked her, launching her over to where he was. They smiled. But Jack's faltered.

Bunny bit his lip, looking down. Then his eyes widened. "No, no no!"

The ice cracked underneath him, pulling the brown-haired boy under. Pippa's eyes grew the size of dinner plates as she held her hands out. "Jack!"

They watched as he sunk deeper and deeper in the water, the cold paralyzing him. When his breathing stopped, there was a thump heard.

Pippa held her head in pain. That's when she realized she had a special bond with her brother.

That's when she realized he was dead, along with the other half of her soul. Slipping her skates off, she ran back to the mansion, crying and screaming Widow's name. Her socks were soaked to the bone in melted snow.

Widow hobbled out to the front door, brows furrowed in confusion. When she saw Pippa running alone, she panicked.

"Pippa! Where's Jack!" she screamed, running over. Pippa collapsed in her arms, sobbing. "Pips, where's Jack? Tell me."

"He's…." she turned her head upward, only to find Radella walking towards them. Her eyes turned cold as she stood up.

Radella gasped. "Pippa?"

"You knew." She screamed. "You knew! You knew that he was going to die. You _knew_ he would die saving me! You knew that he would die today! And, just to add to all this crap, where the hell is he now?"

Radella held a hand out, touching her shoulder. "Heaven, dear."

"No he isn't!" Pippa screeched. "You _know_ he isn't!"

"Are you saying he's in Hell?" Widow asked, horrified.

"Radella, tell me! Where is _Jack_?"

Her eyes lit up. "He's a spirit, Pípere. And since you obviously eavesdropped on me some night, you must know that I wanted to do something. But this is what he's destined to do."

"Die?" Pippa protested.

"Become a Guardian."

"After three-hundred years."

She froze. "Where did you hear this?"

"Like you said," Pippa growled, turning her back to them and walking towards the lake. "I heard you and mother one night when I was six. Oh, and something else."

"Pippa?" Widow said, walking with her now.

"Screw destiny."

* * *

"Why won't he stop?" Pippa asked, frightened. "He can't have _this_ much blood!"

Tooth patted Jack's back as he continued to throw up blood, growing worried at the paleness in his face. The bucket was filling up quickly, and Jack was nowhere near stopping. "This is becoming dangerous."

"You think?" Medina wiped his face of sweat furiously, blooding the rag in the process. "We'll have to do a blood transplant."

"But no one has his type of blood!" Pippa argued, glaring daggers at the bucket. "He doesn't even _have_ a type of blood. It's literally…."

"Bloody water." Joy finished.

Someone began pounding the door, and Tooth looked up. Her enhanced hearing made her question her sanity.

"Sand—ar—I need to get—mate—"

She rolled her eyes, yelling, "Oh, for Moon's sake, the door's open!"

The burst through, scaring everyone half to death. Sandy immediately made his way over to Jack, placing his hands on the sprite's back. A glow engulfed him.

"What happened?" Bunny yelled over the noise in the room. "Why…."

"We'll have to explain later!" Medina screamed. "Will everything be alright when Sandy gets the sand outta him?"

"I don't know," Joy replied. "I don't think we can take away the damage his Harlond did to him."

"His Harlond was damaged!" North boomed, a panicked look in his eyes. "What happened while we were gone?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Tooth said. The glowing had stopped and they'd laid Jack back on the bed. Sandy furrowed his brows.

"Sandy?" Pippa said, looking from him to her brother.

Bunny's eyes had widened and his paws laid by his side in shock. Jack's breathing had always been quiet. Small, wisps of air and graceful sounds of near silence.

 _Near silence._

Bunny had always been the only one to know whether or not Jack was breathing. Sure, the others could tell by the movement of his chest, but they would never be able to when they were distracted.

 _Silence. Silence silence silence._

He started shaking his head, tears gathering and threatening to spill. He couldn't be. This was all wrong. It was all so, so wrong.

"B-Bunny?" Pippa cried, staring intensely at him.

"No, no, no." Bunny mumbled. "No… this is all wrong. We healed him. S-Sandy healed him." His voice broke. "We were t-too l-late."

Tooth's resolve shattered, and she collapsed on her knees, sobbing. Pippa fell back against a bookshelf, staring in shock with wet eyes and cheeks. Medina's lower lip trembled as she took it all in. North stood in shock, denying the moment.

Sandy was shaking Bunny's arm, who finally looked down at him with depressed eyes. "Why… why the _hell_ are you smiling, Sandy?"

He nodded toward the glowing light in the room, right next to Jack's bed. It was taking the form of a man. Bunny gasped.

"Is that…."

Sandman nodded, grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.

A _bang_ resonated through the room, alarming everyone and pulling them out of their saddened states. There stood, in the middle of the room, a brown-haired, winged man with a gray shirt, blue pants, and polished dress shoes. His obsidian crown shimmered playfully in his green eyes.

Tooth gawked. "…Manny?"

He nodded, a determined look in his eyes. "Yes, Toothania."

Sandy was glaring, but there was unmistakable faith and sadness set into his eyes. He _trusted_ Manny, for once in his life, and he _pitied_ him for having to see his own grandson this way.

Manny looked back at Sandy, hard-set on the decision he was about to make. He saw everything he'd given to his grandson in his life right then: bad luck, angst, hardship, loneliness, depression, confusion. And love.

He had seen and given Jack the ability to love like no one else.

Manny smiled, eyes watering, and placed his hands on Jack's unmoving chest. To say he didn't hesitate would be a lie—he sobbed on the inside. Jack was meant to move, dance, smile, bring warmth to everyone. But here he lay, cold as ice and still as stone. His eyes were closed, mouth just slightly opened. His sunken cheeks indicated harsh sickness and unwarranted starvation.

Manny smiled, his palm glowing a faint white color.

"Jack, I'm so sorry." He started as the glow turned blue with the boy's health improving. "I wish I could take back everything. All the problems you faced—every time you were forced to accept death. I wish that you could have lived the normal, untroubled life of a growing teenager. I wish I had let you grow old and have children to carry on our generation. I wish you hadn't felt so alone every year of your life."

Pippa smiled, thankful to have gotten the chance to have two children. Medina had tears in her eyes. Tooth was grinning, thinking about all the fun times Jack must've had with his family.

Bunny was nodding, confident that Jack would make it through and make up for the loneliness with his family, new and old.

His palm was glowing a slight pink color as it went through the color cycle, becoming faster and faster. Manny continued calmly, "This is my gift to you, Jeván. Not your health, or your life. Everything that comes after."

Pippa narrowed her eyes suspiciously as the short man continued.

"I'm going to give you the world to see." And with that, he faded, leaving a tattoo in the middle of Jack's chest.

It was a burst of the color that Manny had used to heal him. It continued to fluctuate, moving and expanding, only to die down, and then come back to life.

Tooth knelt next to him, checking his wrist for a pulse. She choked, tears streaming down her face, a smile on her face. She rested her head on the side of the bed, looking down at the floor while she held Jack's warm hands. _Warm hands_ _._

"T-Tooth?" Bunny dared to ask, stepping further to her.

She laughed a relieved, shaky laugh that scared everyone half to death. "H… He's alive. Oh, Moon, he's _alive_!"

Medina and Pippa grinned so hard their cheeks hurt. North's laughter boomed throughout the room, resonating off the walls. Sandy clapped excitedly, silent as ever.

Bunny hopped quicker than ever, taking Jack's other hand. The small boy had been awakened.

"Everybody, shut your traps!" Bunny yelled.

They did so, staring at Jack expectantly. His blue eyes widened as he got up out of the bed. "Holy…." He stared around the colorful room in wonder.

"Jack!" Tooth scolded, driving his attention away from the mural of flowers on the wall. His eyes expanded, if that was even possible, driving a gasp from his mouth.

"Oh, my Moon," he started, staring hard at the feathered lady. Then he looked everyone in the eyes. "What just happened…?"

"Well, uh…." Pippa rubbed her heck, a habit both she and Jack had in common. "Manny kinda came down and… brought you back from the dead?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean." He pointed at Tooth, tears streaming from his joy-filled eyes. "Everything's so…."

"What, Jack?" Joy questioned, suspicions becoming reality. She grinned, pointing to Tooth. "So what?"

He took a deep breath. "Colorful."

Bunny gawked. North's eyes enlarged. Pippa jumped up and down in happiness, tackling Jack to the floor, who laughed and hugged back. Medina looked to Joy.

"It can't be true…."

"My—my eyes." Jack looked at himself in the mirror. "I can see color." He looked out into the workshop, colors dancing over his eyes. "I never knew…."

"Oh, Moon," Medina was still in shock, joy taking over her. Her child had been _cured_. _Cured!_

"Bunny, your eyes." Jack said. "They're so green. Green. That's something I never thought I'd have to say. And North—yours are the color of the sky! Tooth, I've never seen purple. Purple eyes. And Pippa and Medina…."

He stared, unsure of what to make of his revelation. Medina looked at him worriedly, stepping further with her hand out. "Jack?"

"You two have the same eyes." He startled her, pointing at them both. "And the nose—I have your nose. I have your neck and your jawline. Medina…."

He looked up, hugging her. She looked down in shock.

"Mama." He cried, smiling hard. "Mom. Mother, oh, Moon. You're my _mother_."

"Yes, Jack." Pippa had joined in on the hugging when Medina had finally replied. "Your sister and I are here. We always will be."

"And so will us Guardians." Bunny added, smiling at Jacks bewildered expression. "After all, you're one of us, and we wouldn't be able to live without you."

Tooth gave them all a sad look. "Not after all this."

That's when Bunny heard Jack's soft breathing and smiled as it filled the room with reassurance. He walked over to him and picked up his collapsed form. "I'm gonna bring him to his _actual_ room, seeing how this one smells like vomit and blood."

"Aw, he's so cute." Tooth cooed.

"I am _so_ gonna use this as leverage." Bunny mumbled, grinning evilly. He made his way out of the room. "Everything… is back."

"Peace." Jack murmured in his slumber, twisting slightly in Bunny's arms, wincing at the invisible bruises he had gained. " _Peace._ "

 _END_

* * *

 **Sequel? Sequel anybody? Don't count on me though... it may take another couple months.**

 **Oh! My birthday is this Monday! Yes! Go me!**

 **Hehe, well, love you all.**

 _ **Mini**_


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